Darryl Dee's 1709: Twilight of the Sun King offers a narrative history of the greatest crisis in the long reign of King Louis XIV (1643-1715) of France. The War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) had begun as a struggle over dynastic rule in Spain, but had quickly become a major European war involving many states. Louis XIV and his royal state faced a potential military, economic, and political collapse at the height of the war, as French armies faced a grand coalition of enemies and the crippling effects of a brutal winter. The book is well-written in a crisp narrative style that builds tension as Louis XIV, his ministers, and his generals respond to this crisis and organize France's defenses. Dee has an eye for visual imagery and rich descriptions that bring to life the drama surrounding the epic battle of Malplaquet between French and Allied armies in 1709. Although the war would continue for five more years, this bloody battle arguably determined the fate of France and Europe. The book makes a significant contribution to the historical literature on Louis XIV's royal state and on early modern European warfare.